It can be concerning when you notice that a contact’s profile photo and “last seen” status have disappeared from WhatsApp. There are a few reasons why this can happen:
They blocked you
If someone blocks you on WhatsApp, your messages will no longer be delivered to them and their profile photo and last seen status will disappear from your view. This is the most likely reason their profile has gone blank.
Blocking means they no longer want to interact with you on WhatsApp. You won’t be able to contact them unless they unblock you.
They changed their privacy settings
WhatsApp allows users to control who can see their profile photo, about info, and last seen status. They may have changed these settings to exclude you specifically or set them to nobody so their info is private.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you are blocked, but they don’t want you viewing their profile details anymore. You can still send messages that will be delivered.
Account deleted or inactive
If someone deletes their WhatsApp account entirely, their profile will disappear for all contacts. Their account may also become inactive if they haven’t used WhatsApp for 120 days, which will remove the profile.
In both cases, any messages you send will not be delivered and the contact is essentially gone from WhatsApp. They would need to reactivate their old account or create a new one to reconnect.
How to Tell if You’re Blocked
If you’re unsure whether their profile disappeared because they blocked you or changed privacy settings, there are a few signs that point toward blocking:
- Your old conversations are gone
- You can no longer see their profile photo
- You can no longer see their “last seen” status
- Your messages never show as delivered
- You can’t add them to groups
You may also notice that old group chats you had together now show “left group” instead of their name.
These changes indicate they took steps to remove you from viewing their account or interacting with them.
You Can Still See Their Number
One way to double check if someone blocked you is to look at their contact in your phone book. If you can still see their phone number, they likely just removed you or changed privacy settings.
If the number is gone completely, that confirms you’ve been fully blocked on WhatsApp.
Will They Know if I Unblock Them?
If you get blocked on WhatsApp, you may be tempted to unblock the person and try contacting them again. But will they know you unblocked them?
The answer is no. Unblocking only allows you to view someone’s profile and send messages again. It does not notify them or add you back to their contacts. The conversation will still appear one-sided.
They would only realize you unblocked them if you directly told them or they noticed your messages going through again. Even then, you will still be blocked on their end unless they choose to unblock you too.
So unblocking is best used just to reopen your end of communication. But it doesn’t guarantee the other person wants to reconnect.
Should You Message Someone Who Blocked You?
If you realize someone has blocked you on WhatsApp, is it a good idea to reach out through another channel like phone calls or texting? Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros
- Lets you apologize or address any misunderstanding
- Shows you still care about remaining in contact
- Leaves the door open in case they want to unblock later
Cons
- May be seen as desperate or ignoring their wishes
- Reopening communication too soon could make matters worse
- You risk annoying them and getting blocked on other channels
Overall, it’s best not to reach out right after being blocked. Give the person space for a few days or weeks, then assess whether a thoughtful message may help. But accept that the block likely signals they don’t want contact right now.
Can You Tell Who Viewed Your WhatsApp Profile?
Unlike other social media apps, WhatsApp does not have a built-in way to see who views your profile or when it was last viewed.
The app prioritizes privacy and limits profile access only to your contacts. So there is no tracking of profile views taking place.
If you want to know if a specific person has viewed your profile, the only way is to ask them directly. But there are no notification logs or insights to pull this data from.
Third-Party Apps
Some third-party apps like WhatsTracker claim to show you WhatsApp profile visitors. However, these apps do not have special access to WhatsApp data. They simply notify you when a contact comes online, which may indicate they opened WhatsApp and could be viewing profiles.
But this does not confirm profile views and should not fully be relied upon. Official WhatsApp profile views are private.
Can You Tell if Someone is Online on WhatsApp?
Unlike Facebook Messenger and other chat apps, WhatsApp does not have an active online presence indicator that shows when contacts are currently on the app.
However, there are a few basic ways to get clues about whether someone is actively online and available for chatting:
Last Seen Timestamp
In your contact’s profile info, you may be able to see a “last seen” timestamp showing when they last opened WhatsApp. This could suggest they have the app open now if the timestamp is recent.
However, this does not definitively confirm they are actively online. Also, users can disable their last seen status for more privacy.
Read Receipts
If you have enabled read receipts, you can see when your messages have been opened. If you text someone and see the read receipt comes in immediately, that’s a strong sign they are online.
However, take note not all users have read receipts enabled. So this is not fully reliable.
Typing Indicator
When someone is actively typing a message to you in the chat window, a typing indicator animation will display below their name. This is the clearest sign on WhatsApp that a user is online and interacting in real-time.
Conclusion
Having someone’s WhatsApp profile and last seen status disappear can be confusing and concerning. In most cases, it signals they have either blocked you entirely or removed you from seeing their profile details.
If you are blocked, respect their wishes for distance and don’t bombard them with messages through other channels right away. However, a thoughtful reconnection attempt could be appropriate once some time has passed.
WhatsApp also provides limited data on when contacts are actively online. Look for recent last seen timestamps, immediate read receipts, and live typing indicators as clues someone may be present for a chat. But profiles and online statuses remain private overall.